Registered Agent in Florida: requirements, cost & best options
Florida has no state income tax — but one unforgiving deadline. Miss the May 1 annual report by a day and a flat $400 late fee hits. Here's what a Florida registered agent involves.
By Luis Cornado, Founder & Editor · Published June 7, 2026 · Updated July 26, 2026
The exact Florida rules, real costs, and the right registered-agent option for your LLC — checked against the official Florida source.
The Short Answer
- Florida requires every LLC to keep a registered agent with a physical Florida street address (no PO box), and the agent must sign to accept the role.
- You can be your own agent with a Florida address; remote owners use a commercial agent.
- Florida has no state income tax, and forming costs $125 (a $100 filing fee plus a $25 registered-agent designation fee).
- The big one: the annual report is due May 1 ($138.75). Miss it and a flat $400 late fee hits on May 2 — and an unfiled report gets your LLC dissolved in September.
- A service that tracks that deadline (and keeps your address private) is cheap insurance against the $400 penalty.
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boltQuick decision for Florida
- chevron_rightUse a professional agent if you work from home, travel, or want your address off the public Sunbiz record — Florida posts your registered agent and managers publicly.
- chevron_rightBe your own agent if you have a Florida street address, are there during business hours, and will sign to accept the role.
- chevron_rightNorthwest fits if privacy and never missing the May 1 annual report — with its unwaivable $400 late fee — matter more than saving ~$125 a year.
Florida Registered Agent & LLC Facts
| Requirement / Metric | Florida Specifics |
|---|---|
| Registered agent required? | Yes — every Florida LLC & corporation |
| Governing statute | Fla. Stat. § 605.0113 (registered agent) |
| Physical Florida address required? | Yes — a physical Florida street address |
| PO box allowed? | No — a PO box does not satisfy the requirement |
| Can you be your own agent? | Yes, with a Florida street address — and you must sign to accept the role |
| LLC filing fee | $125 (confirm current) |
| Annual report | Required by May 1 each year ($138.75); a flat $400 late fee applies on May 2, and an unfiled report means dissolution in September |
| Franchise / annual tax | None — Florida has no state income or franchise tax |
| Publication requirement | None |
| Change registered agent fee | $25 (Statement of Change of Registered Agent, filed via Sunbiz) |
| Official source | Florida Division / Secretary of State |
Fees and rules change — always confirm the current figures on the official Florida source linked above before filing.
What Florida requires from a registered agent
Like every state, Florida requires every LLC to keep a registered agent at a physical Florida street address (a PO box won't do), staffed during business hours to receive lawsuits and official state mail.
Can you be your own registered agent in Florida?
Yes, with a Florida street address — and you must sign to accept the role. The catch most pages skip: that address goes on Florida's public record (scraped by data brokers if it's your home), and you must be available during business hours or risk missing a lawsuit — so home-based and remote owners usually use a service. Here's the full DIY trade-off.
thumb_upBeing your own agent — pros
- addNo annual agent fee — you keep the ~$100–$150/year a service charges
- addYou receive service of process and state mail directly
- addWorkable if you keep a staffed Florida street address
infoCons & risks
- removeYour name and Florida street address are public on Sunbiz, alongside your managers
- removeYou must sign to accept the role (Fla. Stat. § 605.0113) and be present during business hours
- removeYou personally track the May 1 report — and Florida's $400 late fee can't be waived
Listing your home as the registered agent address publishes it on Sunbiz and invites service of process at your door. For home-based Florida founders, that's the main reason to use a service.
Registered agent cost in Florida
Forming an LLC in Florida costs $125 up front, and a registered agent runs about $100–$150 a year on top — Northwest includes the first year free, then about $125. Full breakdown, including the DIY $0 route, in cheapest registered agent. To see Florida's filing and annual fees beside all 50 states, use our LLC cost calculator.
Privacy & the public record in Florida
Florida runs on the public Sunbiz database, and your registered agent's name and Florida street address are listed there for anyone to search — as are your managers or managing members on the annual report. Florida is not a privacy state the way Wyoming or New Mexico are. Florida also requires the agent to sign to accept the appointment (Fla. Stat. § 605.0113), and an LLC can't maintain a lawsuit in Florida until it has a compliant agent on file. A commercial agent keeps your address off Sunbiz and signs automatically.
Out-of-state & non-resident founders: Out-of-state and international owners often choose Florida for its lack of income tax, but you still need a registered agent with a physical Florida street address who signs to accept — which you usually can't be from elsewhere — so a commercial agent is effectively required.
Comparing options? See our Northwest review, Northwest vs LegalZoom, or the budget pick in Northwest vs Bizee.
Best Registered Agent Services in Florida
We weigh providers on real first-year and renewal cost, privacy, upsell pressure, and support — the same way for every state. Here are the three we point Florida founders to.
Northwest
First year free when you form, then a flat ~$125/year. Strong privacy and no upsell funnel.
- doneRegistered agent free for year one
- donePrivacy by Default® — their address, not yours
- doneUS-based support, no upsells
Bizee
Lowest upfront cost — $0 service fee, first RA year free. Best if you'll decline the checkout add-ons.
- done$0 formation service fee
- done1st year registered agent free
- doneLifetime compliance alerts
ZenBusiness
$99 intro first year
All-in-one platform with a compliance guarantee. We don't earn a commission from ZenBusiness — here's our honest comparison.
- doneWorry-Free compliance guarantee
- doneAll-in-one formation suite
- doneHigher renewal than our top picks
Pricing reflects each provider's advertised rates as of July 2026 and can change — confirm the current price on the provider's own site before you buy.
Compare your options in Florida
Every realistic way to meet the Florida registered-agent requirement — including doing it yourself.
| Option | Best for | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Be your own agent | Florida residents with a staffed street address who want $0 agent cost |
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| Northwest Registered Agent | Privacy-focused, home-based, or out-of-state Florida owners |
|
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| Bizee or another formation service | Owners who want the lowest upfront formation cost |
|
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| Florida attorney or CPA as agent | Complex entities already paying a Florida professional |
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Florida's $400 late fee — the deadline you cannot miss
Florida's annual report is the single most important date for a Florida LLC. It's due May 1 and costs $138.75 on time. But miss it by even one day and a flat $400 late fee is added on May 2 — it's required by law, can't be waived, and isn't prorated, so a $138.75 filing instantly becomes $538.75. Ignore it entirely and Florida administratively dissolves your LLC on the fourth Friday of September (the third Friday is your last day to file before that): the company legally ceases to exist and you lose your liability protection. With no franchise tax and no state income tax in Florida, this one deadline is essentially your entire compliance burden — so put a reminder in April, or use a registered-agent service that tracks it for you.
Florida is genuinely a good fit for:
- doneBusinesses physically operating in Florida
- doneOwners who value having no state income tax
- doneService businesses and snowbirds serving the Florida market
The Florida annual-report calendar (and why May 1 is non-negotiable)
Florida's filing itself is easy — it's the deadline that bites. Here's the yearly lifecycle, from formation on Sunbiz to the flat $400 late fee and administrative dissolution if you miss it.
Florida-specific things to know
Florida runs everything through Sunbiz (the Division of Corporations portal at dos.fl.gov/sunbiz) — formation, annual reports and registered-agent changes all happen there. Two Florida quirks catch first-timers. Your $125 formation fee is really a $100 filing fee plus a separate $25 registered-agent designation fee. And Florida is one of the few states that requires the registered agent to physically sign to accept the appointment on the Articles of Organization — you cannot just name someone without their signature.
The deadline that actually matters is the annual report, due May 1 ($138.75). Florida's late penalty is unusually harsh: a flat $400 fee that cannot be waived — it does not scale with how late you are, so being one day late costs the same $400 as being two months late. Miss it entirely and the state administratively dissolves the LLC on the fourth Friday of September; you can reinstate, but you'll pay the back fees plus a reinstatement fee on top, so it is far cheaper to simply never miss May 1.
On the upside, Florida has no state income tax and no franchise tax, which — combined with a huge market — is why it's a favourite for real-estate and relocation LLCs. One privacy note: Florida's annual report lists your managers or managing members publicly on Sunbiz, so it is not a privacy state the way Wyoming or New Mexico are.
Looking up an existing registered agent in Florida
Every Florida company's registered agent is public record — you can find any LLC's or corporation's agent, with the registered office address, free through the Sunbiz entity search. Search by company name and the record shows the current agent on file.
The usual reasons to look one up: serving legal papers on a company, due diligence on a business you're about to deal with, or confirming your own record updated correctly after a change of agent (in Florida, that filing is $25).
"Registered agent near me" in Florida — explained
Searched "registered agent near me"? In Florida it's not about being near you — your agent just needs a physical Florida street address, staffed during business hours, on file with the Florida filing office. That's why a national service like Northwest works no matter where in Florida — or which state — you personally live.
How to change your registered agent in Florida
To switch in Florida, file the state's change-of-agent form ($25) and put the new agent on record before cancelling the old one — many services handle it. Full steps in how to change your registered agent.
How to start an LLC in Florida
In short: choose your name, appoint a registered agent (the step above), file your formation document with Florida ($125), and get a free EIN from the IRS. Then keep it compliant: Required by May 1 each year ($138.75); a flat $400 late fee applies on May 2, and an unfiled report means dissolution in September. For the full walkthrough see our cheapest way to start an LLC guide.
Which path is right for you in Florida?
verifiedUse Northwest if
- doneYou work from home or want your address off the public Sunbiz record
- doneYou're forming or operating the LLC from outside Florida
- doneYou'd rather not risk Florida's unwaivable $400 late fee on the May 1 report
personBe your own agent if
- checkYou have a Florida street address staffed during business hours
- checkYou're comfortable with your name and address appearing publicly on Sunbiz
- checkYou're confident you'll file the annual report by May 1 every year
compare_arrowsConsider other options if
- checkYour only priority is the lowest upfront formation cost (a budget service like Bizee)
- checkYou already pay a Florida attorney or CPA who can serve as agent
- checkYou want to compare on price first — see our Northwest vs Bizee and Northwest vs ZenBusiness guides
Florida Registered Agent FAQ
Why is Florida's $400 annual-report late fee such a big deal?expand_more
When is the Florida LLC annual report due, and how much is it?expand_more
Does my Florida registered agent have to sign anything?expand_more
What is the Florida $125 LLC formation fee made of?expand_more
What happens if my Florida LLC is administratively dissolved?expand_more
Does Florida have a state income tax?expand_more
Is my information public on Florida's Sunbiz?expand_more
How do I change my Florida registered agent?expand_more
Official Florida sources
Comparing states?
Founders weighing Florida usually shortlist these too — or see every state's fees side by side.
Keep reading
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This page is for general informational purposes and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Florida fees and rules can change — confirm current details with the official Florida source before filing.